The Broncos did not renew the contract of Jerry Butler, who had been their director of player development since 2011. Butler is taking the same role with the Chicago Bears, where he will join John Fox’s staff.

Butler’s role with the Broncos was to help players with life off the field, assisting them with counseling, financial guidance and education. Butler, 57, played seven seasons as a receiver for the Buffalo Bills from 1979-86. His best seasons were his first three, when he averaged 53.3 catches, 836 yards and six touchdowns.

In this Sept. 14, 2014, file photo, Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone talks to players on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Orchard Park, N.Y. (Gary Wiepert, Associated Press file)

The Broncos will interview former Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone on Saturday, according to an NFL source. Marrone helped rebuild the Bills’ defense into one of the league’s best during his two years there in 2013-14. Even with the team unable to find a top tier quarterback, the Bills improved from 6-10 in 2013 to 9-7 this season.

John Fox and the Broncos agreed to part ways after four seasons. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Former Broncos coach John Fox is traveling Wednesday to Chicago to interview for the Bears’ head coaching position, according to an NFL source.

Fox seemed to become the Bears’ top candidate within hours after the Broncos’ 24-13 second-round playoff loss Sunday to the Indianapolis Colts.

Fox’s connection to the Bears came by way of the New Orleans Saints. The Bears last week hired former Saints’ director of player personnel Ryan Pace to be their new general manager. Pace from the bottom of the Saints’ personnel department where he worked closely in recent years with Sean Payton, New Orleans’ head coach since 2006.

John Fox and the Broncos agreed to part ways after four seasons. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Less than a day after the Broncos’ season-ending loss to the Colts, coach John Fox and general manager John Elway met — as they always do at the end of a season — to assess the team.

This time, though, the meeting left the Broncos without a coach.

John Fox and the Broncos agreed to part ways after four seasons and a 46-18 record, four consecutive AFC West titles and a trip to Super Bowl XLVIII. In the three years Fox was coach and Peyton Manning was quarterback, the Broncos posted records of 13-3, 13-3 and 12-4 and first-round playoff byes.

The Broncos never got a Lombardi Trophy with Fox as coach, but his overall success made his departure somewhat of a shock to fans, media and especially his players, who took to Twitter on Monday to react to the news. Here’s what they, as well as Fox and Elway, had to say Monday afternoon:

John Elway:

“While we have made significant progress under Coach Fox, there is still work to be done. I believe this change at the head coaching position will be in the best interest of our long-term goal, which from day one has been to win World Championships.

“Our organization is fully dedicated to reaching Pat Bowlen’s high standards for his team as we begin the process of finding the next head coach to lead the Denver Broncos.”

John Fox:

“Although we came up short of our ultimate goal, I am proud of our team’s many accomplishments during these last four years. I truly appreciate all of the hard work put in by every player, coach and staff member within this organization.

“It was an honor to coach the Denver Broncos, a first-class franchise with great fans and a winning tradition. I am thankful to John, Mr. Bowlen and Joe Ellis for allowing me and my family to be part of this team and community.

“I am eager to continue my coaching career and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.”

As if losing to the Indianapolis Colts wasn’t bad enough. Now for the second time in three years, John Fox and his Broncos coaching staff are expected to coach a team in the Pro Bowl that will be held Jan. 25 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

The league still has to formally extend the invitation, but Fox and his staff are expected to receive the honor because the Broncos, as a No. 2 seed, were the highest-seed to lose in the second-round of the AFC playoffs.

Fox and his coaches might as well coach in the Pro Bowl — the Broncos had a league-most 9 players named to the Pro Bowl. Lot of good that did them Sunday against the Colts.

Jason Garrett and his Dallas Cowboys’ staff are expected to coach the other Pro Bowl team. The Cowboys, with a No. 3 seed, were the highest NFC seed to lose in the division round.

Denver Broncos strong safety T.J. Ward is helped off the field after getting injured during the fourth quarter after putting a hit on Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard (25) on Dec. 22, 2014, at Paul Brown Stadium. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

CINCINNATI — Broncos strong safety T.J. Ward watched the replay of the injury on his phone, the image confirming the scare he received Monday night. After a hard tackle, his head turned slightly as players piled onto him. His neck pulled back awkwardly. Ward lay motionless for a few seconds. He would not say whether he lost feeling in his legs.

“I’d rather not talk about all that until I have more tests (Tuesday),” said Ward, who was able to walk off the field and traveled back to Denver with the team. “I appreciate all of the concern.”

Ward underwent X-Rays at the stadium, and they were negative. He has experienced several “stingers” while playing professionally.

Denver Broncos head coach John Fox calls instructions in the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Nov. 30, 2014. (Charlie Riedel, The Associated Press)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A win on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium would give John Fox and the Broncos the second-longest road division winning streak in NFL history.

The longest road division streak was put together by the Joe Montana-dynasty San Francisco 49ers, who won 12 NFC West road games in a row from October 1987 until December 1990.

Fox has two teams that are tied for the second-longest streak with 10 consecutive road division wins — his Carolina Panthers from 2004-07 and his current Broncos, who started their 10-game streak with a Tim Tebow-led victory at Oakland in November 2011.

Chiefs safety Eric Berry is undergoing further tests to see if a mass found in his chest is indeed a lymphoma. (Jed Jacobsohn, Getty Images)

The routine rarely changes at Dove Valley. After practice, coach John Fox steps up to the podium with the Broncos’ injury list in hand, and spews off the latest string of hobbled players.

That wasn’t the case Wednesday, though.

“Before we get to our injuries,” Fox said, “I just want to say that our team’s and organization’s thoughts and prayers are with (Chiefs safety) Eric Berry, a part of our NFL family, that he has the best fortune going forward as he deals with a health issue. We’re supporting him in everything we can. We had him at the Pro Bowl and he’s a fine young man and we wish him nothing but the best.”

Berry felt discomfort after the Chiefs’ loss to the Raiders and was placed on the non-injured football list Monday after a mass believed to be a lymphoma was found in his chest. He is in Atlanta undergoing further tests to confirm a diagnosis, though the Chiefs trainer said Monday that the leading possibility is cancer.

In the span of a few days, Berry went from fighting for a win on the field to fighting for his life. And the weight of the matter was not lost on Fox and the rest of the Broncos as they prepared to face the Chiefs on Sunday.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo to all 32 teams on October 10.(Elsa, Getty Images)

Here it is AFC showdown week with the New England Patriots and what did the Broncos do?

They got their priorities in order. Following practice Monday, Broncos players and coaches gathered for a 1 1/2 hour educational session on domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

The seminar was held for all Broncos’ staff personnel on Tuesday.

“Obviously, it’s relative,” said punter Britton Colquitt. “It was good for anybody to hear, especially for guys like me who have a wife or guys who are in relationships. It’s good to be sensitive to those issues and aware of them.

“And the kid thing is changing with how to discipline and not take it too far. You can’t take your kid in the yard and beat them with a belt like everybody’s parents did back in the day. It’s good to hear because if I get mad at my son, not that I would have done anything before, but because of things like this you say to yourself, I’m going to think before I react.”Read more…

Calais Campbell of the Arizona Cardinals falls after being tripped up by Peyton Manning (18) of the Denver Broncos on an interception return during an NFL game on Oct. 5, 2014. Campbell later left the game after tearing his MCL after a hit by Ryan Clady and Julius Thomas. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

The Cardinals did not escape Sports Authority Field at Mile High without significant injuries across their once undefeated team.

But the one that stood out the most to Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians and veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was a Broncos chop block play by tackle Ryan Clady and tight end Julius Thomas that sent defensive team captain Calais Campbell to the ground may have torn his MCL. Thomas was officially called for the penalty, which negated a 77-yard touchdown run by Demaryius Thomas. Arians was clearly fuming after the game and didn’t mince words.

“I’ve been coaching for 37 years,” Arians said. “It’s the dirtiest play I’ve seen in the National Football League. It was a flat chop block and it put him out of the game. I’ve never seen anything like it. I know John Fox. He’s a great coach and a great guy. But somebody has got to answer to that. A fine isn’t going to do it when he’s going to miss three to four weeks on a blatant chop block.”

Annabel Bowlen, center, wife of Denver Broncos’ owner Pat Bowlen who struggles with Alzheimer’s disease, and other members of Team Super Bowlen, come in for the finish of the 5K walk.(Jamie Cotten, Special to The Denver Post)

As Annabel Bowlen and her children were about to start their Walk to End Alzheimer’s event at City Park this morning, they chanted as one: “This one’s for Pat.”

Team Super Bowlen raised nearly $70,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association today. Every Broncos player donated, as well as football operations boss John Elway, coach John Fox and several other team staffers. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and his family revealed in July that he is dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.

In the walk, Bowlen’s wife Annabel cut the ribbon before joining her family in the walk. Team chief executive officer Joe Ellis was also among the 8,000-plus participants.

Kevin Vickerson slowly dressed as he spoke to a handful of reporters in the Kansas City locker room on Sunday night after the Chiefs’ 24-17 loss to the Broncos. On his mind? Getting another chance to beat Denver — the team that cut him at the end of August after four years of being the team’s starting defensive tackle.

“It was a business decision by them (the Broncos), a business decision by me to come here (to Kansas City) so I could play them twice,” Vickerson, 31, said. “They made a business decision; I made a business decision. I could have went to Cincinnati, but I chose these guys. That’s who we’re going to ride with: Chiefs.”

The Ravens released their star running back and the NFL suspended him indefinitely, hours after TMZ Sports released another tape from the elevator incident earlier this year that landed him a two-game suspension. This one showed him decking his then-fiancee, knocking her out cold before dragging her out of the elevator.

The NFL and the Ravens have spent that last few months claiming that they had not seen this other tape, though some believe otherwise:

Re Ray Rice knockout punch: I was told NFL had access to same evidence the police did when evaluating a 2-game suspension.

After the footage came out, many players, including Broncos co-captain Terrance Knighton, spoke out about the incident and the NFL’s apparent tolerance of Rice’s actions, given his measly two-game ban.

But the Ravens couldn’t get out of this one. There was no way they could spin the story and claim that Rice did not do what he did to a woman. So they released him … while still leaving this story up on their site. Should they be applauded for their move? Many, myself included, don’t think so.Read more…

Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman will not play against the Colts on Sunday. (Kent Nishimura, The Denver Post)

After falling behind in their preparation last week, backup running back Ronnie Hillman and cornerback Kayvon Webster will be inactive for the Broncos’ game tonight against the Indianapolis Colts.

Hillman and Webster fell ill after the Broncos’ preseason game Aug. 28 and stayed behind for one night in the Dallas-area to receive medical treatment. They had to spend a second night in Dallas because they didn’t have proper identification to fly back on Friday.

Hillman and Webster were limited in practice Monday at Dove Valley but were cleared for full participation in the Broncos’ padded practice Wednesday.

Kayvon Webster was limited in practice Monday. He and Ronnie Hillman became ill on Thursday, and didn’t travel home with the team. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

However, John Fox and his coaching staff determined later in the week that Hillman and Webster had fallen too far behind in the team’s preparation and will keep them on the sidelines for the season opener.

With Hillman out, second-year back C.J. Anderson and rookie Juwan Thompson will back up starter Montee Ball. With Webster down, rookie Bradley Roby is expected to play in the nickel packages, along with starters Aqib Talib and Chris Harris. Veteran cornerback Tony Carter should also get more playing time.

Hillman and Webster are expected to play next week against the Kansas City Chiefs.

A little more than a day after The Denver Post revealed the NFL will suspend Matt Prater for the first four games of the season (a much shorter ban than originally threatened) for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, the Broncos’ kicker spoke to reporters after the team’s practice Monday, taking ownership for his actions and thanking his teammates and fans for their support.

“First and foremost I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches, fans, the entire Broncos organization, Coach Fox, and the Bowlen family and especially Joe Ellis for being there for me,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough for everything that they’ve done for me over the last seven years and I am really sorry. I have made mistakes and I hope to gain everyone’s trust back and I am going to work my tail off to try and help us win a championship this year. I take full responsibility for what’s happened and I’m accountable for it. It’s no one’s fault but my own and I am dealing with it, (will) hopefully learn from it and improve as a person and as a football player.”

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning reached his flash point in the second quarter. After a week of listening to Houston chatterbox D.J. Swearinger, who instigated a fight Thursday by throwing a punch at Demaryius Thomas, Manning had enough.Read more…

Broncos coaches not named John Fox spoke to reporters at length following practice Thursday. And Adam Gase, the team’s offensive coordinator, was rather straightforward when asked about the Broncos’ running game, with their young set of backs, and how the offense has handled having to play a pair of solid defenses — Seattle last Thursday and San Francisco this coming Sunday — in their first two preseason games.

Here’s what Gase had to say:

On what he’s seen from the running game:
“For the most part, we’re a little more downhill this year. We do stretch it some but probably not as much as we were trying to last year. We’re using a little more of our gap schemes and running some power plays which has really developed a little bit different attitude for us. It makes it a little easier on our guys to say, ‘Hey, I’m just coming off the ball, and we’re going to be downhill.’”

On if the running game can help the defense:
“I think for what we’re doing right now, especially with our defense, they would say we’re probably running the ball better, and our downhill running game is probably helping them because now they’re seeing what they’re probably going to see in the regular season. I think it’s helping both sides of the ball.”

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.